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Boston

Boston

Home to Harvard’s campus in the Longwood Medical Area, Allston, and the Arnold Arboretum, Boston is a dynamic crossroads where storied Harvard institutions and new endeavors thrive. United by values for the common good, Harvard and the City of Boston have a strong history of collaboration and commitment to partnership.

Community programs for Boston residents

Hundreds of community-serving programs connect Harvard with neighborhoods across Boston. Driven by the commitment of faculty, students, and staff, these efforts reflect the long-standing partnerships and collaborations between the Harvard community and the City of Boston. Together, they support residents, families, Boston Public Schools, nonprofits, and city departments.

Harvard and Boston public schools

Harvard works closely with the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to provide programs that enhance student learning in a wide range of fields, including science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM); civic engagement; college and career readiness; and skills development. The University also provides professional development opportunities for BPS educators and administrators to learn from Harvard research and faculty.

  • $49M

    In scholarship aid provided to Harvard College students from Boston in the last 10 years

  • 7,000+

    BPS student participants reached through educational, mentoring, and internship programs in FY25

  • 50

    BPS teachers participated in professional development programming in FY25.

Supporting Boston’s economy

As an anchor institution, Harvard plays a vibrant role in Boston’s economy – employing thousands of residents and attracting hundreds of millions in research funding that generates local spending at Boston-based businesses and further stimulates the economy.

  • 3,600+

    Boston residents directly employed by Harvard

  • $422M

    In salary, wages, and benefits paid to Boston residents in FY25

  • $825M

    Spent in construction, supplies, and services in Boston in FY24

Partnering with the city of Boston

Harvard is committed to addressing regional priorities and partners with the city of Boston around initiatives that are designed to meet the broader needs of Boston residents.

5,500+

Units of affordable housing created or preserved through the Harvard Local Housing Collaborative in the City of Boston in the past 20 years

11

City of Boston departments supported through Harvard fellowship student placements in FY23

  • $4M

    In Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) to the City of Boston in FY23

  • $33M

    In PILOT payments to the City of Boston in the last 10 years

    Harvard participates annually in the City’s voluntary PILOT Program.

  • $78M

    In taxes paid to the City of Boston in the last 10 years

     

    Harvard pays municipal taxes on the University’s non-exempt property.

Harvard’s PILOT and tax payments to the city of Boston over 10 years

A graph showing an increasing amount of taxes and payments in lieu of taxes being paid to Boston

Community benefits for Harvard’s neighbors

Harvard delivers community benefits in Allston-Brighton connected to the University’s institutional development. These initiatives were thoughtfully identified with the community and include the Harvard Ed Portal, which hosts hundreds of public programs each year and the Harvard Allston Partnership Fund, which has provided $1.6 million in grants to small, local nonprofits.

With the Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) project underway, Harvard is proud to continue its commitments to Allston-Brighton, further adding to the neighborhood’s cultural life and dynamic landscape. Through the approved Phase A of the ERC, Harvard has committed $25 million in funding to support affordable housing opportunities, $1.05 million in new funding for workforce development programming, as well as extensive publicly accessible open space.

  • Three people in suits walking outside

Sustainability

People at the Arnold Arboretum

Arnold Arboretum

As a unique partnership between Harvard and the City of Boston, the Arnold Arboretum is one of Boston’s largest parks. In addition to serving as both a research institution and publicly accessible green space, the Arboretum is committed to helping the City and University build climate change resiliency and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. This includes new solar panels that power the Arboretum’s scientific research facilities; modernized upgrades at various buildings; and the use of earth-friendly practices in the care and management of the Arboretum’s plant collections and landscape.

A tree next to a field

Supporting the city of Boston’s climate action plan

Harvard is actively engaged in collaborations that support the City of Boston’s climate preparedness efforts and interdisciplinary research designed to advance solutions for a fossil fuel-free future. Harvard continues to be a member of the Boston Green Ribbon Commission (GRC), a group of business, institutional, and civic leaders dedicated to supporting the effective and equitable design and implementation of the city’s climate strategy. For several years, the University also chaired the GRC’s Higher Education Working Group, helping to share knowledge and facilitate cross-sector collaboration.

Spotlights

The Family Van of Harvard Medical School

A mobile clinic working to improve the health of vulnerable Boston residents in Roxbury, East Boston, and Dorchester. Every year, the Van provides free health screenings and over five years has saved an estimated $2.8…

Learn more about the Family Van

Harvard Ed Portal

An open door to the community, the Harvard Ed Portal brings together Allston-Brighton residents, students, families, and professionals from every walk of life to participate in innovative programming and learn from one another.

Learn more about the Ed Portal

Examples of
Harvard programs
across Boston

A map of Massachusetts